Astrobotic and NASA will make another attempt at the end of 2024

The launch is scheduled for November, but Peregrine's problems must first be thoroughly investigated. The Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle carrying the special Peregrine mission was launched last week from Cape Canaveral in Florida. On February 23, Peregrine will attempt to land on the moon. After the launch all kinds of problems occurred. A malfunction in the propulsion system led, among other things, to a fuel leak.

Engineers were able to stabilize the capsule temporarily, but there was no chance of landing on the moon's surface. If a lander had landed on the moon, Astrobotic would have been the first private company to succeed.

The Astrobotic capsule crashed in a controlled manner on Thursday. For example, the company wanted to prevent space debris from flying around uncontrollably, according to Thornton. Communication with the capsule was lost around 10 pm on Thursday. This means that the capsule crashed as planned over the South Pacific Ocean and burned up in the Earth's atmosphere. This has now been independently confirmed, according to Astrobotic's president.

The United States hopes that companies can help build bases on the moon. For example, they can transport goods by plane. The Shaheen is 2.5 meters wide and about 2 meters high, and can carry a payload of up to 265 kilograms.